UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) Receives $44.50 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.50.

UGI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of UGI in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of UGI from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of UGI in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of UGI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of UGI from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th.

UGI Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE UGI opened at $37.58 on Friday. UGI has a one year low of $29.03 and a one year high of $41.34. The firm has a market cap of $8.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $38.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.78.

UGI (NYSE:UGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.24). UGI had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that UGI will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

UGI Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. UGI’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other UGI news, insider Joseph L. Hartz sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $192,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 33,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,287,767.40. This represents a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jean Felix Tematio sold 12,840 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.07, for a total transaction of $488,818.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,662.64. This represents a 64.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UGI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UGI. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in UGI during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of UGI by 103.8% in the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 1,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of UGI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,000. 82.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About UGI

UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI) is a publicly traded energy distribution company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1882 as the United Gas Improvement Company, UGI has grown into a diversified provider of energy products and services. The company’s operations are organized into three primary segments—AmeriGas Propane, UGI Utilities and UGI International—each focused on the delivery of propane, natural gas and related services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

AmeriGas Propane, UGI’s largest segment, is the leading retail propane distributor in the United States with a network of dealers serving customers in all 50 states.